This is why he shouldn't just have given up today. Look at the pressure on him now.

He didn't give up, he just hit a wall at the wrong moment. If Del Potro over takes him it will be because he is not recovering from injury at the moment. There is no way Murray will make the final. He will claw his way back later on in the year, when he isn't defending much.

oh yes of course gangsta Andy just chose to give up as he couldn't be bothered to fight to the end.

It was pretty inevitable that he'd drop down the rankings temporarily after the op though at this rate Ferrer could drop faster and further and not so temporarily. While of course we'll speculate about the ranking can we not get all het up about them just now please. And whatever the drop in ranking I'm confident Andy will climb back up pretty quickly once he's fully match fit again.

Actually, I hope that Ferrer cannot maintain his No 3 spot so that it will not really matter if Del Potro takes his position. Yet, as far as I have understood today's defeat does not make a difference in Ferrer's points. Is that true?

Actually, I hope that Ferrer cannot maintain his No 3 spot so that it will not really matter if Del Potro takes his position. Yet, as far as I have understood today's defeat does not make a difference in Ferrer's points. Is that true?

I think it's more that this is probably a sign of things to come with Ferrer. Given his age, we would expect a drop down the rankings. If Del Potro over takes him, I can live with that. Better by far than Berdych or Gasquet or Warwrinka (My only objection to Warwrinka being he knocked Mr M out of the US Open, and so is public enemy no 1 for me at the moment). Besides Ferrer out gives Tsonga a chance to get higher again.

He didn't give up, he just hit a wall at the wrong moment. If Del Potro over takes him it will be because he is not recovering from injury at the moment. There is no way Murray will make the final. He will claw his way back later on in the year, when he isn't defending much.

How do you know Murray won't make the final? I might of been negative earlier but there is no way of knowing how well he will do. Remember it's best of 5 and has chance to play himself into form.

Actually, I hope that Ferrer cannot maintain his No 3 spot so that it will not really matter if Del Potro takes his position. Yet, as far as I have understood today's defeat does not make a difference in Ferrer's points. Is that true?

Yes that is true - Doha was in his non-countable points. Next week he's defending 250 points in Auckland, though the result won't have an effect on the AO seedings.

There's a good chance that Delpo will be number 3 after the AO as he's got a lot to gain in the next few weeks and hardly anything to defend. But the most important thing is for Andy to get match fit again - once he's feeling good on court, the ranking will take care of itself.

This year will be a big shakedown and the world order will change a lot. However, by the end of the year, I expect four players to be well clear of the pack: Djokovic, Nadal, Murray and Del Potro. In that order.

Yes that is true - Doha was in his non-countable points. Next week he's defending 250 points in Auckland, though the result won't have an effect on the AO seedings.

There's a good chance that Delpo will be number 3 after the AO as he's got a lot to gain in the next few weeks and hardly anything to defend. But the most important thing is for Andy to get match fit again - once he's feeling good on court, the ranking will take care of itself.

I agree Katie, and I'm sure his ranking is not the uppermost thought in Andy's mind right now.

This year will be a big shakedown and the world order will change a lot. However, by the end of the year, I expect four players to be well clear of the pack: Djokovic, Nadal, Murray and Del Potro. In that order.

I will be very happy to see Delpo in the top four, as long as it is #4!

I personally think he has come back to early, he should have done a Rafa and waited until after the AO and got his match confidence back in some lower ranked events

I had wondered about that too, but he obviously didn't want to keep postponing his comeback - which is what Rafa kept doing until he finally got a run of minor clay-court tournies in S America.

Unfortunately the way things are with hard courts, as I see it, Andy would probably be running around in Europe and the US, and I don't think all that travelling and different surfaces would appeal to him on top of having to get used to playing competitively again.

As it is by the time he's got through the AO (although how far, I wouldn't care to guess and don't have any expectations either), having hopefully played a couple of exhos next week, he should have a good idea of where his game is at and how well his back is standing up. Acapulco doesn't start until 24 Feb, so plenty of time for improvements and recuperation.

Ideally he would have had a nother couple of weeks, Aus open is prob just a tad too soon, ideally another week of rehab and a few weeks of 250s/500s - but the calendar is what it is and he was prob at a stage where the next step to test the back was in match play, also to get his game back. Just a shame there is a slam so soon. However, I'm sure Andy was aware of all this and the implications for his ranking when he decided to have the op and did what was best for him. (who knows, if he hadn't had the op he may have had rotten autumn results anyway due to the problems, still be in pain and no better placed for Oz than he is now). So we should trust he knows best what do to and support him in that.